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Feb 28, 2007

From March 1, more than 1800 different kinds of electronics in China need to have environmental protection stickers pasted somewhere in a visible location.

All products now need to show the names of any poisonous elements in their construction, including content, use validity and recycling information. These products include mobile phones, laptops, computers, digital video cameras, MP3 players, MP4 devices, printers and a range of other electronics. Manufacturers, sellers, distributors and recyclers of electrical and electronic equipment containing lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers are most affected.

While it is clear that industrialized nations need to lead the change on environmental protection... the global needs to pull together to support and promote positive action. Blame and hate will continue to prolong necessary changes.

Feb 26, 2007

From the energyrefuge article "Oil is a very efficient energy source and there is still plenty of it. Not many products can produce 18,000 BTUs per pound, and cost almost the same as bottled watter. Right now, it is as profitable as ever and the demand continues to grow- year after year the petroleum companies are making record breaking profits. Exxon had profits close to 10 billion dollarsas reported by USA Today."

"Economic???? In plain English, as soon as the oil reaches 10 or 15 dollars per gallon we’ll start seeing changes. This is not going to happen until oil starts to become scarce."

This is a good article that embraces many truths and misconceptions people need to embrace to measure “TRUE” alternatives to our environmental and energy crisis.

We have had the tech, tools and infrastructure for decades… but, until one of these alternatives “drives” the markets no “power” will move from financial gains of oil & coal.

Fear & Greed drive markets, not better always alternatives…. that is why it is vital that we also make clear to investors that they can “make green” using greener options.

During the first “global warming”& “Oil War” of the 70’s My father was told that we would be driving “hydrogen powered” hover cars by the time I was his age… I am still waiting.

He answered that question with an "Absolutely". "a market is developing for automobiles powered by high-tech batteries for people to be able to motor back and forth to work". I believe that they are correct, and as a matter of fact, the market exists already - people are just waiting for the vehicles to hit the market at a price point that they can afford.

He says that Americans should be optimistic about our future and what we will be driving - in "vehicles that do not have to look like golf-carts."

No mention was made of hydrogen (sigh of relief). So, are these the vehicles that will bring America into a new age of transportation, using alternatives other than gasoline? I answer, for my part, Yes...

University of Nevada, Reno professor Manoranjan Misra is working on a new process for generating pure hydrogen utilizing two of the most abundant resources available, sunlight and water. Utilizing a new material made up of billions of nano-tubes, water is passed through and ultrasonic waves energized by sunlight cause the water to be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen. He estimates that this process could yield hydrogen at the gasoline energy equivalent cost of about $1 gallon. [Source: PhysOrg VIA-www.autobloggreen.com]

Feb 25, 2007

"Global Energy is currently developing gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology which utilizes CO2 gas to make butanol. Butanol can be used in most gasoline engines without modification. It has also been identified as a possible jet fuel to use in turbines."

I have never been able to make it through the entire video on this site. Very unnerving...

My family & I eat very little meat, but with all the eco-destruction, waste and slaughter practices in the meat industry makes the "little" we eat seem like a lot...

While I am not an alarmist or activist, I believe people need to see and hear the truth. And more often than not, the truth is not our perceptional media based reality.

More: “Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems,” senior UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) official Henning Steinfeld said. “Urgent action is required to remedy the situation.”

Feb 24, 2007

The vortex tube, also known as the Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube, is a mechanical device that separates gas into hot and cold streams. It has no moving parts. Pressurized gas is injected into a swirl chamber and accelerates to a high rate of rotation (over 1,000,000 rpm). The gas is split into two streams, one giving kinetic energy to the other, and resulting in separate flows of hot and cold gases. This is somewhat analogous to a Peltier effect device, which uses electrical pressure (voltage) to move heat to one side of a dissimilar metal junction, causing the other side to grow cold. They are also characterized by a lack of moving parts and low efficiency.

Episode, number three covered the types of fuels that we are likely to see in the coming years. All of the usual suspects were included: ethanol, biodiesel, hybrids, pure electrics, hydrogen, solar and even compressed air were all considered, and got roughly equal coverage. Left off the list were biobutanol or any of the other bioalcohol-based fuels.

Linton, a frequent poster on Hugg, has posted his summary of each episode, and here is a link to his coverage of the third. I also noticed that the show incorrectly referred to the air-powered car as perpetual motion.

In 2004, NET examined household cleaners and cosmetics, concluding that many products contain toxic chemicals not listed on the labels, including volatile organic compounds, phthalates, and glycols. A recent New York Times article confirms what we found in Cabinet Confidential, detailing that many cleaners can contribute to poor indoor air quality and that they contain chemicals to which people may want to avoid exposure, particularly for their children. While the manufacturers point out that these chemicals are safe when used as directed, they do not address use of multiple products. Interestingly, they have now begun to develop alternative cleaners without some of these toxic chemicals.

WASHINGTON - Cleaning up about half of the 117,000 leaking underground fuel storage tanks nationwide will cost the public about $12 billion, Congress' investigative arm said in a report released Thursday. Inaction "places human health and the environment at an increased risk."

Dingell said the federal government has been too slow to tap the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund, or LUST, a federal cleanup pool set aside in 1986 to aide state cleanups.

The pool, funded by a tenth-of-a-cent per gallon federal tax on gasoline, will hit a $3 billion surplus at the end of the 2008 fiscal year.

The US Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees the cleanup program, estimates that per-site cleanups cost an average $125,000.

EPA and the states have spent more than $10 billion over 20 years to clean up spills but more than 100,000 releases have not yet been cleaned up.

The number of sites needing cleanup could rise dramatically. The GAO said that states were unable to estimate costs for 8,000 sites, and 43 states expected to confirm nearly 17,000 new releases in the next five years that would require public funds to clean up.

Costs can also rise dramatically if sites are contaminated with methyl tertiary butyl ether, or MTBE, a fuel additive no longer in widespread use that has contaminated water supplies in dozens of states, rendering it undrinkable.

Over half of the 14,800 sites on California's cleanup backlog involve MTBE contamination, said Rep. Hilda Solis, the California Democrat who also requested the GAO investigation.

Average California per site cleanup costs is about $174,000 in public funds, which rises to about $583,000 when MTBE is present, Solis said.

A new way to capture carbon dioxide from smokestacks produces a raw material that can be sequestered underground or turned into substances such as baking soda, chalk, or limestone. CO2 Solution, of Quebec City, Canada, has already tested its process on a small municipal incinerator and an Alcoa aluminum smelter. Its scientists are now working with power-plant equipment giant Babcock and Wilcox on ways to adapt the technology to a coal-fired generating station. Hugg - posted by jiltedcitizen

Many climate scientists get frustrated with those who don't believe that human activity is causing global warming, but should having such views be a sackable offence? http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070219/full/445806a.html

This is the first major workshop to focus solely on how waste-heatsources can be captured and used to generate electricity. The EnergyDepartment has made waste-heat recovery a major priority in its 2004Industrial Energy Saving Roadmap. The workshop will be held at theUniversity of California, Irvine, and is sponsored by the U.S.Department of Energy.

Feb 14, 2007

More than 175 million roses are sold in the U.S. in the days leading up to Valentine's Day. From seedling to shipping crates, a cocktail of chemicals protects those blooms.

Seventy percent of cut flowers sold in the U.S. are imported from countries where pesticide application is not as tightly regulated as it is on U.S. farms. A survey of 8000 workers in cut-flower plantations near BogotÃ¡, Colombia found that workers were exposed to 127 different pesticides, 20% of which are banned in North America because they are considered extremely toxic and carcinogenic. Three of the pesticides are considered "extremely toxic" by the World Health Organization.

Feb 13, 2007

Associated Press: Wisconsin's greenhouse gas emissions grew at a faster rate than the national average during the 1990s and can be expected to accelerate with growing reliance on coal-fired generators to produce electricity, a newspaper reports. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Sunday that its analysis of data from the federal Energy Information Administration showed greenhouse gases released in the state increased 26 percent in the 1990s, compared to the increase of 20 percent nationally. ...Link

Haase Comments

Continued reports on growing Wisconsin pollution problems.... "While nearly every great lake territory is cutting, Wisconsin appears to be lifting critical "environmental protection" standards that protect wildlife and children's health. Any state lowering pollution standards will clearly have a negative impact on ALL surrounding territories.

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Optimism and an open mind are the most radical political acts there
are.

We have thousands of energy options that can save our economy and planet without
sacrificing our resources or lifestyles.

The general public only hears of the few options that line the pockets of the
few that result in the suffering of the many.

The public information on this website makes it easy for anyone to clearly
understand how viable and abundant our future can really be.

We are not activists,
treehuggers or politicians...
we are EHS
professionals who have thoroughly enjoyed everything this planet and its people
have offered us and want to extend the quality of life for both.

NOTE: I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree with every—or any—opinion in the posted article.
And although I often blog about disagreements, it is
VERY important to understand that I agreed more with the ideas of
President Obama and Dr. Chu than disagreed. (it is just part of
democracy, it gives balance and is vital)

My Companies Websites:

Getting up every morning before 4am... the only thing that looks good is
coffee.

I do not think President Obama regularly drank coffee we he was in senate,

but he may want to try it on his new job.

WARNING: coffee is harmful to the
environment, small woodland animals and people who like to maintain status quo

The blog provides information of a general & public nature regarding national or other developments. None of the information contained herein is intended as legal advice or opinions relative to specific matters, facts, situations or issues. Additional facts, information or future developments may affect the subjects addressed in this blog. You should consult with an expert about your particular circumstances before acting on any of this information because it may not be applicable to your situation. This blog contains information and links to sites which are not owned or maintained by myself. I am not responsible for the content, linked sites, and the views expressed on linked sites do not necessarily reflect my views or opinions. The information contained herein is provided for personal, non-commercial, educational, entertainment and informational purposes only and does not constitute a guarantee of information or facts. I make no claims, expressed, implied, or statutory regarding the accuracy, timeliness, completeness, or correctness of any material contained herein. Since the conditions of use are outside my control, the individual visitor is entirely responsible for determining the appropriateness and applicability of all information contained herein.

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There is not enough room to list all...but, Here are a few good ones in no
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